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Based on what you know about him in history books, what do you think Abraham Lincoln would be doing if he were alive today? 1) Writing his memoirs of the Civil War.2) advising the President.3) Desperately clawing at the inside of his coffin.

— David Letterman on Advice

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Based on what you know about him in history books, what do you think Abraham Lincoln would be doing if he were alive today? 1) Writing his memoirs of the Civil War.2) advising the President.3) Desperately clawing at the inside of his coffin." in the context of "David Letterman, in Only Joking: What's So Funny About Making People Laugh?, p. 162." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Advice" (L) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
David Letterman

About David Letterman

David Michael Letterman (born 12 April 1947) is an American late night talk show host, comedian, television producer, Indy Racing League car owner (Rahal Letterman Racing), and philanthropist.